Shore Power Cord - Could I . . .

[John Galt]

Instead of tossing the cords (2) 30 AMP onto the dock when heading out, could I hard wire the female end into the A/C system of my boat, then be able to disconnect from my dock's power pole,coil the shore cord in a lazerette and keep it onboard? Seems this would eliminate a weak link where the shore cord joins the bulkhead. And if so, should I hard wire it straight to an inline 30 AMP fuse?
Thanks...

[Nice N Easy]

Instead of simply unplugging both ends of the cord, coiling it up and putting it in a lazarette, you want to hard wire the female end into your elect. system, then coil it and put it in a lazarette. There is no big deal, or large amount of time or labor involved. What am I missing here.

[Pblais]

Trouble is the cords go bad from the twisting and abuse they get. 30 Amp cords are dirt cheap. 100 amp cords are a whole other matter.

[sailvayu]

Replacement will be more work but you are right I see many burns and fires at the boat side of the shore plug. And yes the 30 amp breaker is a good idea. Cords tend to have a life span of about 5 years under normal use so if you are willing to rewire every 5 years or so it should be fine. And I do not see replacing it as a big deal would take what 30 min to an hour to do so not a big deal.

Fair Winds

[John Galt]

Sorry to trouble you if this seems a stupid question, I had heard somewhere there was no such thing. When I don't know something especially about something that could kill me like electrical matters I ask.
The female plug has browned from what I'm guessing is a loose connection. I was thinking of replacing the entire cord. I'm on a budget and thought this might work.
Thanks

[sailvayu]

John if you are seeing browning or burning on your cord end it is from heat due to high resistance. you might need to replace the inlet on the boat as well. I would inspect that as well. You can just replace the cord end but that needs to be done right and will only save about half the cost of a new cord. might be best just to replace but check the condition of the inlet as well or you might burn up a new cord. Read my article on shore power safety Project Boat Zen - Checking your shore Power System for more information and if you have any more questions let me know

Fair Winds

[RaySea Lady]

My boat has two 50 amp/ 120V lines. When I bought the boat, one line was about 40 feet long and the other was about 25 feet long. Half the time I was short since the boat is 65 feet long. There were also frayed ends etc...

I had an electrician redo my shore power and ended up with ONE line ( 4 guage wire) hard wired into a waterproof electrical box at my stern, 100 feet long, all coiled on stainless hooks in my cockpit and readily available whenever needed.

I also took a non collapsible potable water line of the same length and wrapped both together with what is used to protect Hydraulic hoses from friction etc...

Now when I take out my shore power, the water line is with it and both are covered so there is no damage to it.

[David M]

What is the problem with the female end of your dock cord? Usually they are trouble free.

[sailvayu]

The female ends of 30 AMP cords are often where problems start



This is a classic example of what I see all the time

good Luck

[Chief Engineer]

This is done on Tugboats and on the vessel that is my picture all the time.

If you do decide to do this make sure to put some kind of strain relief on the cable in the boat.

[sailvayu]

And it is common practice on hi end power boats with the Glendenning auto reels so nothing wrong with the concept. I agree with the strain relief part as well.

Fair Winds

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by John Galt

Instead of tossing the cords (2) 30 AMP onto the dock when heading out, could I hard wire the female end into the A/C system of my boat, then be able to disconnect from my dock's power pole,coil the shore cord in a lazerette and keep it onboard? Seems this would eliminate a weak link where the shore cord joins the bulkhead. And if so, should I hard wire it straight to an inline 30 AMP fuse?
Thanks...

It is done all the time and does remove the frequent occurrence when someone hits the on board shore plug with high pressure wash down water after a quick sail, when the plug was not put in properly.

Your shore power line should definitely be fused, with polarity indicator and preferably an isolation transformer. (Especially on metal boats)

If you do wire it into a reel, remember that when plugged in, the leftover coil of line on the reel should be flaked off so as not to set up a resistance field

[James S]

I have mine hardwired to the boat.
My motivation.... I did not want to have that horrible receptacle with ankle whacking cover sticking out of my combing.
I have a dedicated locker for the cable.

[John Galt]

Your picture is just what I'm seeing everytime I unplug my cord. Its one of those things where I know something isn't right, and tell myself "FIX IT". These cold windy days on Lake Lanier finally have put a boot in my butt to get it done. This is Pat, (Never Monday's) old Cheoy we're talking about. He helps me whenever I ask, but I need to start learning these things on my own.

I appreciate all the good advise guys!

Rick

[James S]

That round metal thing isn’t the receptacle...its the screw on plate that holds the cord place door/hatch closed...its rounded and smooth and isn’t going to get any ankle skin.

There’s another piece exactly the same but with a hole in it …it lives on the cord and when the cord is out it screws over the same piece and holds the door closed.

I’ll try and get a better picture of the fittings over the weekend if you’re interested.